Where Are The Avengers During Hawkeye?

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Hawkeye.

Disney+'s Hawkeye series has teased an "Avengers level threat," but Earth's Mightiest Heroes are missing from the action, which begs the question: where are they? None of the current Avengers are set to return for Clint Barton's first ever solo series, despite a TV spot for the show mentioning a threat worthy of their time. If there is potentially a threat of that level looming, then for all his skills and abilities it's very likely the titular hero will struggle without assistance from his fellow Avengers.

Hawkeye is set in the MCU timeline during Christmas 2024, approximately two years after the events of Avengers: Endgame. The team's ranks were never greater than at the Battle of Earth, as virtually every living Avenger and their various forms of backup rallied against Thanos with the fate of half the universe hanging in the balance. But in the years since, the heroes have gone their separate ways. While it's not yet revealed what the actual threat in Hawkeye is—beyond the Tracksuit Mafia members Barton and newcomer Kate Bishop have already tangled with—the first episode features stolen Avengers items being sold on the black market. The responsibility for their recovery should not just fall on Hawkeye’s shoulders, especially when he's supposedly retired. So where are all the missing Avengers?

Of the founding members of the Avengers, Thor is in space somewhere on a mission of self-discovery with The Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Widow and Tony Stark sacrificed themselves to stop Thanos, and Steve Rogers is gone. Bruce Banner is still around, however Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' post-credits scene shows that he's still nursing his arm after the reverse snap in Endgame. With Hawkeye's New York location, there are nearby Avengers that could lend a hand, including presumably Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. However, it's believed that Hawkeye is actually set slightly after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, so there's no telling the status of either character following Peter Parker's highly anticipated Multiversal battle. Strange has demonstrated in the past that, as the Sorcerer Supreme, his primary goal is to protect the Sanctum Santorum and the mystical arts at all costs, generally allowing the other Avengers to handle their own problems unless his presence is specifically required.

Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow walk together in The Avengers

While Phase 4 has established the Avengers still exist, it appears that they're a shadow of their former strength. Their headquarters and tech are gone, and without Tony Stark funding them, there isn't another source outside of the government—which opens up the issues that broke up the team during Captain America: Civil War. Wong appears to be running an unofficial version out of Kamar-Taj, and new Avengers such as Shang-Chi and Katy are waiting in the wings. It's uncertain where Sam Wilson's new Captain America is, but Bucky has found a small measure of peace for the time being. Rhodey meanwhile is back working for the U.S Air Force and is likely busy with his own challenges in Armor Wars. Meanwhile, Wanda Maximoff's status as an Avenger is certainly in question following her exploitation, however originally unintentional, of Westview's residents in Wandavision.

Ant-Man and the Wasp are presumably back in San Franciso and/or busy exploring the Quantum Realm. Finally, while King T'Challa’s focus would be on Wakanda rather than New York, the sad passing of Chadwick Boseman obvioiusly prohibits any appearance of the Black Panther in Hawkeye, and it's unclear what Marvel's current plans for the Wakandan MCU characters entail. Stand-alone MCU stories such as Hawkeye will always raise the question of why the Avengers are missing from the fight when the stakes are high, but with the team currently in a state of flux and the future very much in question, it makes sense that Hawkeye and Kate Bishop may largely be on their own this time around. Having said that, the first two episodes of Hawkeye have kept the action at street level, rather than a threat of the scale that would justify their attention. As Phase 4 of the MCU continues to expand, more explanations as to the locations of the missing Avengers will undoubtedly come to light.

Next: Hawkeye Is Smartly Reversing Endgame's Worst Ronin Mistake